|Chapter 2|
|Date: 2/2/2184|
|Location: Serpent Nebula/Citadel/Kithoi Ward/Yovaan Hotel Complex/2nd floor/Room B-12|
Tali shook her head and closed her eyes before sighing.
Leaving without saying a good-bye to anyone was going to be a mistake.
She zipped her bag full of her meager belongings, shouldered it, and made her way to the lobby to check out.
After doing all of that, she sat down on a lavishly comfortable chair in the hotel's foyer and waited for her taxi. She stared blankly out to one of the large windows, one with an average view of the city, and thought.
The flotilla was only a day or two away.
After that, she'd be back.
Back to a new life on some new ship to do some new thing.
Yeah. Some new thing.
She squeezed her eyes shut and couldn't bring herself to look at the window anymore.
She still felt regret mostly, if she wasn't lying to herself. All that time wasted over trying to convince herself the idea of staying with John on the Normandy was an idea best kept as a dream.
But that's all it could ever be now.
Just a dream.
Fuck the pilgrimage. She wanted John back.
A taxi turned the corner and stopped inside the hotel's roundabout. She stood up from the chair, walked out, and didn't even give the place a second glance.
"This is the six thirty, right?" Tali asked nonchalantly as she clambered inside.
The driver didn't reply.
When she looked up to repeat herself out of the idea that he hadn't heard her, her mouth went dry.
She frowned.
Intensely.
It was the batarian from last night. The baked one.
"Hi." Tali growled, "How're you?"
The man didn't even bother turning around to face her.
He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uhm..."
"Drive." She ordered.
"R—right." He turned off the roundabout and ascended up to the airway.
The next minute or so carried off in silence. And it looked like it was killing him more than her.
Tali finally decided to break it.
"How're your friends?" She asked with a frown before crossing her legs and arms, "They faring well?"
"Which do you want to know about first? The one you shot? Or the one with a limp elbow?"
"Limpie first."
"Checked out of the ER this morning. The turian guy's still in I think. Got admitted into the OR last night."
"I see." Tali murmured mostly to herself.
"Yeah."
She took a deep breath and willed herself to apologize. "I'm sorry."
His gave her a twisted look. "What? You? Sorry? Why would you be sorry?"
She looked out her window and into the reflection staring back at her. "Maybe shooting him was a little excessive. And breaking an arm wasn't exactly necessary."
"Look. You don't have to apologize to me. I didn't even know them. My dealer invited me to that shit place last night and ditched me with his crazy friends. I got wasted and high as a kite. I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted."
They drove for another minute or so without saying anything before her driver caught notice of the wispy trails of thin smoke out near the ward's horizon.
"Smoke's a little thicker than usual." He pointed out, "See that?"
Tali stared out from her window and to the dozens of felled scrapers Sovereign had laid waste to months ago.
And just like that, Tali slipped into a flashback to their last moments of fighting Sovereign and his pet Spectre.
The gravity of those final hours... the mere idea of knowing the galaxy depended upon the actions of such a select few... It never failed to always make her stomach churn.
"They're still getting head counts, you know." He said, pulling Tali out of her senseless wandering, "Lost my parents and my dog there."
"I'm sorry."
"No reason to be." Her driver replied with the barest hint of a shrug and mellow tone, "Happened during the attack."
"Is that what pushed you to drink and shoot yourself up?"
"No." He shook his head, "It was me losing my job three weeks ago at some firm. Guess that was the last straw. Lost it after that. Working as a cab driver in the meantime to make some ends meet."
"We all make mistakes."
"No." He said quietly, "Not mistakes like that. You had every reason to do what you did last night."
"How much do you even remember, exactly?"
"Not much. Enough to remember you though."
They finally turned off the airway toward the airport.
"Almost there. You should get your things ready."
She took his advice and shouldered her bag.
"...And we're here." The cab driver said as he pulled up to the airport. He turned around and saw her staring absently to the dozens of people walking outside.
"...You okay?"
"Frankly, no. I'm not." She murmured before looking at her omni-tool, "Thirty credits I believe?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Thirty credit tip." She answered.
"Uh... why are you doing this...? Is this some kind of sick trick up your sleeve?"
"No," She said before handing him a credit chit and smiling weakly, "I do it because..."
She was suddenly at a loss for words.
Because what?
Tali wasn't exactly known for having a bleeding heart for drunk druggies looking for trouble.
But she supposed she had one for the people who'd met dead ends in life.
Like her.
"...Because we all have to shoulder something." She answered finally, "I guess I'm supposed to say there's light at the end of every tunnel."
"I hope so." He murmured weakly with a faint smile before taking the chit from her, "My name's Caleb, if it means anything."
"Your name's… surprisingly human."
"Parents were human."
"I see."
"Look, before you go… what's your name again?"
"Tali. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."
His jaw went slack and he didn't have the guts to meet her stare anymore.
"Of all people." He said quietly, "It's weird to say it, but I'm glad it was you they picked."
"Goodbye Mr. Caleb. A pleasure meeting you."
"Likewise. And ma'am? I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you." She mumbled before shaking his hand. Closing the door, she turned to look at the airport's one of several automatic doors. Hearing his vehicle gradually accelerate behind her, she began a steady walking pace through the bustling commonplace, and vanished into the crowd of people.
|Chapter 3|
|Date: 2/3/2184|
|Location: Serpent Nebula|
She eyed the long set of tickets in her hand until the ship's intercom squawked for everyone's attention.
"This is Niak Gladimere Speaking, Captain of the Hollowed Fame. Our destination is to the Horsehead Nebula. Estimated Time to Arrival is approximately 3 hours until we arrive in the Pax system, planet Noveria. From there, we will arrive at the Noverian space port. Following this message, our attendants will show you a variety of safety equipment, its location, and how they are used. Please, enjoy your flight."
As promised, flight attendants had entered into the middle row and began lecturing their passengers of the rules and whatnot.
As the Hallowed Fame initiated its ascent toward the relay, Tali, unfortunately, had the time to sit down and think some more.
Her heart still ached and the headache she had wasn't helping. Turning off her voice, she groaned before letting her fist clench into a vice. Her omni-tool flashed a warning to tell her she'd just received a text.
She opened the letter.
ꜰʀᴏᴍ: ɢᴀʀʀᴜs.
ᴛᴏ: ᴛᴀʟɪ
ɪ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴡɪsʜ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴅɴ'ᴛ ʟᴇꜰᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴛᴇʟʟɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ. ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sʜᴇᴘᴀʀᴅ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ɢɪᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ɪɴ ᴄᴀsᴇ ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ɪᴛ.
ɪ ɢᴜᴇss ɪ'ʟʟ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴀɪᴛ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ɪ sᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ.
ʜᴏᴘᴇꜰᴜʟʟʏ sᴏᴏɴ.
-ɢᴀʀʀᴜs
An unsteady pair of hands blanketed her face as tears dripped from her cheeks. Her small and mighty chokes for air made her tremble and throb.
"She isn't going to answer." Garrus murmured.
Liara shrugged and kept her eye on the little trinket in her hand.
It looked handmade she mused. Very professionally done.
She flipped it over and studied it. The thing was made with polished metal and painted matte black. At its center was a disk of glass with laser etched markings.
"What do you think it is?" Liara asked as it danced around in her hands.
"What do you think, Liara? It's for sentimental value." Garrus got up from the chair and walked toward her, "Put it back in the box." He didn't bother hiding his irritation.
She did as she was told and placed the small medallion back into its proper place.
"Sorry… I just wanted to see what it looked like." She said shamefully.
He took the box, stuffed it back into the bag, and put it next to the front door.
"Tali and Wrex are gone." He grumbled frustratingly, "We expected that from Wrex. But from her? From Tali?" He frowned, "After all we've done… we lose one man. And everything falls apart." He sighed again and let his head hang low, "Who knew that he was the only thing keeping us together."
"Garrus…"
"Look at us." He said before giving her a hard stare.
The silent hum of a refrigerator broke the awkward silence between them.
"We've lost so much. And now we're losing the only thing we've got left."
"And what's that?"
"I don't know. Family...? Kinship...?" He muttered and leaned heavily on a wall. He glanced at the cast wrapped around her stomach and made a note of how uncomfortable it looked.
"Look... I'm gonna head back up to my room." Garrus whispered as he opened the door.
"Let me come with you." She said, hoping he would let her. He grinned weakly and extended his hand out, gesturing that she follow.
"By all means." Garrus mumbled, "I hope you know how to cook for a turian."